Bleach: Fade to Zero
by ariados26
Summary: A fem Ichi fanfic. Kurosaki Ichigo had to learn it the hard way. Fuyuki City is NOT a good place to visit, especially with the Fourth Heaven's Feel Holy Grail War going on. A simple delivery mission gone awry and now the heroine of Karakura Town finds herself involved in another mess, one which might even be worse than the threat once posed by Aizen.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Bleach or Type-Moon, and I am only borrowing characters, plots, ideas, etc purely for entertainment purpose only.

* * *

**Chapter 1**

Being a substitute Soul Reaper, meaning that she was still alive, Kurosaki Ichigo would normally have been considered both as an anomaly and an outcast among the Shinigami who were technically dead in the physical world. In fact, at the beginning, that was how they saw her, and she was treated as an enemy, someone who must be eliminated.

As time passed, however, her honest and kind nature hidden behind her face in a constant frown had slowly won over even those who were once her enemies. Her actions had been proven to be noble, and for more times than could be counted, she had aided Soul Society in its times of need.

In the course of time, she gained so many friends and comrades who, despite being weird and unique in their own ways, were quite dependable during hard times. Even the most brutal and heartless among them who had once tried to butcher her would not hesitate to put their lives (while their physical body is dead, their souls are still very much alive) on the line to save Ichigo, just as she would have done for them if the situation was reversed.

Now, the biggest threat Soul Society and the world had to face had been vanquished. Sosuke Aizen, the traitorous captain who had gained powers beyond imagination thanks to the Hogyoku, was dead. Using the Saigo no Getsuga Tensho, Ichigo managed to defeat Aizen, though it came at a heavy price.

As Ichigo had been warned by her two Zanpakuto spirits, using the Final Moon Fang Heaven Piercer would drain her of every bit of Reiryoku/Spiritual Energy she possessed. The pain after its usage would be unbearable and her chance of survival, even if healing techniques like Orihime's or Unohana's (or even Kurotsuchi's) was used, was less than one percent. And it was not just the death of her physical body either. Her death would be complete, both of body and soul. In other words, the person named Kurosaki Ichigo would completely cease to exist, a fate which some would consider even worse than suffering in the afterlife.

And yet, to the immense joy of her many friends and her family, Ichigo managed to survived. She was in a coma for months and yet at the end of it she managed to wake up, due to the stubborn refusal of her friends to give up on her which gave her strength, and after a while her powers managed to recover.

Apparently, Soul Society's resident mad scientist, Mayuri Kurotsuchi, upon the general request of Ichigo's friends (if having Captain-Commander Yamamoto's zanpakuto in bankai form shoved near his throat could be considered a request) agreed to work with Urahara Kisuke, and together the two found a way to save her life.

By giving Ichigo a massive enough amount of Reirokyu, she was able to once again reconnect to her deep well of power. The amount of energy required to do this is indeed massive, even though it was only meant to reform the connection. With the number of friends that Ichigo made, however, gathering it was not much of a problem. Having people like Kuchiki Rukia, Abarai Renjie, Kuchiki Byakuya, Kenpachi Zaraki, Hitsugaya Toshiro, Gin Ichimaru and others with large amounts of it tend to help.

Now, without Aizen's threat looming over their heads, things had now become somewhat peaceful. True, the constant threat of Hollows was still there but compared to what all of them have been through, handling them was like a walk in the park.

That however does not change the fact that the problems in the world, whether it be of the living or the of the dead, never end, which is a sad yet distressing fact.

Even though the times had become more tranquil, the job is never done. There was always something important to do. Presently, Ichigo had set out on a mission.

There was this particular Substitute Shinigami like her who had been a great help against a terrible crises. He had keen observation abilities and intellect, and his quick thinking helped greatly in preventing a disaster. According to Uruhara, this person, due to problems with his family, had some psychological issues but they were resolved when he was finally able to talk to his Zanpakutou. In truth, no one actually expected him to become a Soul Reaper.

Unfortunately, just as it was the case with her, the young Shinigami, as a consequence also ended up losing his powers. However, it was not just that which he lost. Due to the type of enemy they had to face, he also lost his memories of the entire time that he was a Soul Reaper.

Thus was the objective of Ichigo's mission: to find this person to restore his powers and memories.

Now, normally this mission would be worse than looking for a needle in a haystack. Even though Soul Society's scope is worldwide, trying to find one person among billions was extremely difficult, especially since his level of Reiryoku had dropped to that of an ordinary human's. Even those who are familiar with his signature would find it excruciatingly difficult to locate him.

However, as luck would have it, his Reiryoku has spiked high enough for it to be noticed by the radar (an invention made by Soul Society Resident Mad Scientist Mayuri Kurotsuchi), and it was detected at a placed known as Fuyuki City, which was located at the Southern part of Japan.

Originally, this mission was one which either Kisuke or Yoruichi intended to do themselves. However, Ichigo decided to volunteer for it. Naturally, since Ichigo was a Substitute Shinigami herself, no one was surprised.

Unknown to them, the blonde-haired soul reaper had a personal reason for completing this particular task.

Considering that all she had to do was give back the young man in the picture his shinigami powers (though since ten years had passed since then, he would undoubtedly look older), the female Substitute Soul Reaper thought that the mission would be easy. After all, since she knew him _personally_, she would be able to recognize him and his reiatsu even without the device, though pinpointing the location did help.

At least, that was what she kept telling herself. For some reason she could not understand, Ichigo could not help but feel uneasy, unable to shake off the feeling that something terrible was going to happen. And when her gut feeling was telling her that something was not right, something was definitely not right.

She was right.

The moment she arrived in Fuyuki City, the first thing she noticed was Reiatsu that was exuding a foul and evil aura.

Her unacknowledged heroic impulse getting the better of her, Kurosaki Ichigo decided to forego her mission temporarily and instead chose to prioritize eliminating whoever... or whatever it was.

**xxxXXXxxx**

_What the hell is that thing?_

Kurosaki Ichigo was already used to weird happenings around her. She was a shinigami, or rather Substitute Shinigami, and was thus exposed daily to the supernatural. She was not someone who was easily surprised.

However, as she looked at the thing before her from the riverbank, she could not help but be rooted to the spot, both in shock and disgust at the giant 'thing' that was currently in the middle of the Mion River.

It was a monster, one which emitted an evil aura. What was worse, however, is that it reminded Ichigo of... ?!

The young soul reaper shook her head, deciding she did not want to continue with that line of thought. What was more important than what the monster looked is the fact that it is a monster. And almost just as bad as the presence of the giant creature was the presence of sever...

'_**Ugh! King! That looks like one of those things we watched from four eyes' collection.'**_

A familiar voice of a certain someone forced said unwanted line of thought to continue. It belonged to an entity who looked exactly like Ichigo, the only difference is that her hair was silver in colour unlike Ichigo's blonde, while her eyes were of a golden colour: Ichigo's was emerald.

Shiro, one of Ichigo's two Zanpakuto spirits.

'_Arrrgh! Why did you have to say that out loud! And I was trying so hard not to remember it!' Ichigo hissed in her thoughts._

'_**Well you're the one who started it! You know I hate those things just as much as you do! There's no way I'd let you be in peace while those horrible images continue plaguing my mind!''**_ The spirit complained.

Whenever Shiro spoke with her Soul Reaper, even though they were now on friendly terms and not actively trying to kill each other, her tone was normally a mix of cheerfulness and sarcasm. There are, however, certain delicate issues that could rile up the bloodthirsty Zanpakuto Spirit that could observe (and create) scenes of bloody violence and brutality while cackling with glee... women being violated was one such issue.

Cruel side or not, Shiro was still_ female_.

Thanks to said Zanpakuto Spirit, however, instead of a clear head, Ichigo's mind was filled with visions of girls and tentacles and other stuff shown in the Aizen-be-damned movie (which was lent to them accidentally when Ichigo tried to borrow a 'non-rated movie' for Yuzu) that was part of her best friend's _massive_ collection. The Quincy who she once thought was stoic and straight, was apparently into that kind of_ thing, _a _closet pervert. _They were still close friends but ever since that day, Ichigo could not help but feel uneasy when the two of them were alone.

The Shinigami and the Zanpakuto spirit both feeling very annoyed at each other, they were just about to continue their bickering when another voice spoke in a calming yet commanding tone.

'_**Enough you two.'**_

Immediately, the area around Ichigo started spinning in a white blur and when it finally stopped, she found herself in a familiar place, one which was filled with an endless number tall buildings and skyscrapers.

Her inner world.

'_**This is not the time to be fighting amongst ourselves.'**_ The owner of the voice stated. Looking to the side, Ichigo saw a girl who looked exactly like herself. The only difference between them is that unlike Ichigo who had blonde hair, this being's hair was black.

It was Kuro, Ichigo's other Zanpakuto spirit.

While Ichigo is the one who has the most control in the real world while Shiro is much stronger than Kuro in terms of the amount of spiritual energy they hold, both of them held great respect for the sage-like female who was far wiser and than the both of them combined. She was, despite having lower Reirokyu, even better-versed in battle than. A spar between the two Zanpakuto spirits always end with Kuro as the victor.

Of course, both Ichigo andShiro(except when she is in a really bad mood) had enough sense not to call _her_ a sage to her face. As the two found out when Kuro was under the control of Muramasa, she can be very, very, _very cruel_ if someone tried to call her old. She rarely raised her voice, but that was because she was the calm type, one who seemed to follow the philosophy 'action speaks louder than words.'

As of present though, these hardly mattered in the mind of Ichigo. After looking at the black clothed spirit's face, Ichigo decided it was best to stop arguing with the silver-haired spirit. The only times Kuro wore a sterner than usual expression was when she was uneasy about something.

'_What's the matter?'_ Ichigo asked, as she looked at her raven-haired reflection straight in the eye.

'_**I feel the presence of a great evil. It is not that aquatic monster that I'm talking about.'**_ Kuro said worriedly.

'_**Say what?!'**_ Shiro shouted in response. _**'Have you gone blind?!'**_

'_**No I have not. I am merely stating a fact.' **_ Kuro replied in an even tone.

'_**Are you nuts?! Just look at it! There cannot possibly be anything more evil than that thing in the river!' **_Shiro shouted in indignation.

'_...'_

Ichigo silently watched the exchange between the two entities that form her sword continue arguing, already aware of how it would end.

'_**Ah, I've had enough of this! This is dumb! I should have known there was no point arguing with you!'**_

Wearing a familiar scowl on her face due to the fact that she lost, Shiro turned around and was just about to jump towards the other building when she stopped.

'_**Do not worry King. Whatever problem there is between me and Madame Wrinkles, it won't stop me from aiding you. Now if you'll excuse me. I want to take a nap. Just call out my name when you need my help.'**_

Yawning widely, Shiro jumped away, undoubtedly to find a good place to lie and down and have some rest.

'_Madame Wrinkles, huh? Now that's a new one. You've got to give her some credit. It suits you. When it comes to stuff like this she can be very creative.'_ Ichigo commented offhandedly, unable to stop herself from snickering. It was true though. Out of the three of them, even though it was Ichigo who scowled most of the time, Kuro did have the most wrinkles.

'_**Indeed.' **_

Ichigo immediately dropped her smile, colour draining from her face. While her voice remained calm, the look on Kuro's face was one which promised immense pain if she did not stop.

'_H-hey, I was only kidding-' _The blonde-haired girl stammered.

Kuro made a sudden movement which made Ichigo cringe. However, instead of a punch or kick to her face like she expected, Kuro merely turned around and started staring at the clouds that were moving in the sky.

'_**Ichigo, as I think you already know, what I said about sensing another evil presence was no jest.'**_ Said Kuro, her tone solemn and serious.

'...' Ichigo fell silent. Whenever the raven-haired female talked like this, she knew it was best to listen.

'_**However, now is not the right time for us to discuss it. The reason I called you here is because aside from the monster, there are other individuals with large amounts of Reiryoku in the area, some large enough to be at the very least on the level of a Captain of Gotei Thirteen or of the Espada.'**_

Ichigo's eyes narrowed. The air was indeed surging with reiatsu coming from various sources.

The raven-haired female turned around and started walking towards Ichigo until they were less than a meter apart, staring deeply into the young Soul Reaper's eyes, as if looking at the very depths of her soul.

'_**I know you intend to destroy that abomination and prevent it from destroying the lives of the innocent. Yet we do not know what these spiritually powered beings may be planning, if they are allied with the demon or intend to fight against it... or if they are simply trying to add to the already ensuing chaos. Tread carefully Ichigo. We do not know who among them could potentially be friend or foe.' **_

'_...'_

Silence continued to reign between the two of them as they continued staring at each other, trying to comprehend what was in each other's minds.

Before Kuro brought Ichigo into the world inside her soul, the Substitute Shinigami already noticed it. There were at least ten beings in the area with higher than normal reiatsu, six of whom have at the very least Captain Level reiatsu, at least three of whom was actively using them. The first course was whoever was inside the giant squid, who was undoubtedly controlling it.

The other two belonged to the pilots of what Ichigo could only tell to be unique types of jet fighters, one gold while another black, both of whom seemingly unconcerned that a monster was there and were having a dogfight. From the way there were acting, it had been apparent to Ichigo that neither of them were siding with the monster. However, neither were they opposing it either. Twice she saw a missile hit the monster but Ichigo knew that they only hit by accident.

The two reiatsu-using pilots simply did not care.

'_I understand,'_ the substitute Shinigami stated after a while, as she nodded her head_. 'I'll be careful. Don't worry.'_

Judging from how selfishly these morons were acting, while unfair, Ichigo thought it best to assume that the others were the same way: neutral... or worse... on the side of the monstrosity.

Seemingly satisfied with the response, Kuro also nodded her head in affirmation before speaking as she had always done, the words of inspiration that had helped Ichigo greatly to continue treading on her path.

'_**Do not forget, Ichigo. Abandon your fear. Look forward. Move forward and never stop. You'll age if you pull back. You'll die if you hesitate...'**_

Once again, the world around Ichigo started to swirl, just as the Shinigami heard her Zanpakuto's parting words.

Unlike how it was before, however, the next lines were spoken by not one, but rather, by two voices in tandem.

'_**Trust me Ichigo, in battle you will never be alone. I'm always here for you...'**_ Kuro stated encouragingly.

'_**We're always here for you!' **_ Shiro added which, while different in tone, also held encouragement.

'_**Now call out my name... call out our name!'**_

The last phrase of the sentence was shouted by the two voices in unison.

'_Shiro... Kuro... thank you...'_

Smiling to herself at the modification of the cliché yet forever inspiring words, Ichigo drew her sword and shouted, just as the world around her stopped spinning.

"Cleave a path towards the moon, Zangetsu!"

Immediately, a bright blue light emanated from the Substitute Shinigami's body as she released her Reiatsu, her sword taking the form of an oversized Khyber Knife, a black blade with a silver edge.

**xxxXXXxxx**

On the other side of Mion River, an emergency strategy meeting was being held between five individuals.

Their original ploy was to try and find an opening to where Caster was huddled inside of the monstrosity he created so that Lancer would have the chance to destroy it completely. With his red spear, the Crimson Rose of Exorcism, he would be able to destroy Caster's Book of Prelati and thus put an end to the giant demon along with the wicked Magus Servant with the use of his other spear, the Yellow Rose of Mortality.

Unfortunately, the monstrosity was immortal and regenerates too quickly. Even if they pinpoint Caster's exact location within it, striking at him directly would be nigh impossible.

Thus, they decided to retreat and regroup to devise a plan.

It was not going well.

"For the time being I'll drag that thing into Ionioi Hetairoi. Well, it'll probably be impossible to destroy it completely even with my elites. Confining it in my Reality Marble is the best I can do."

"What do we do after that?" Lancer, the Servant of the Spear inquired.

To the dismay of the other members of the temporary alliance.

"No idea." Was Rider's response.

It was apparent now to the others what Rider was planning. The King of Conquerors intended to delay the monster's advance, giving the others hopefully ample time to think of a way to destroy it.

"After taking in such a giant, I can maintain my bounded field of troops for a few minutes at most. During that time, by any means possible Heroic Spirits, find a strategy that will grant us victory. Boy, you stay here too."

Having finished his short speech, Rider grabbed his Master by the back of his shirt, before plucking him out of the chariot and placing him on the ground.

"H-Hey?!" Waver demanded, feeling a mixture of anger and fear at his Servant. He already had an idea of what Rider's intentions were, but he was not happy about it.

"Once the bounded field is deployed, I will have no way of knowing the situation outside. Boy, if something happens, concentrate and call me. I'll dispatch a messenger to you."

"..."

Waver honestly did not like the idea of being away from his Servant, especially in the company of two enemy Heroic Spirits. Allies though they were at the moment, there was always the chance of betrayal.

However, the Master of Rider knew it was necessary. If they were to defeat Caster, such a thing should be considered trivial.

Thus, even though he was afraid, Waver merely nodded his head in agreement.

"Saber, Lancer, the rest is up to you two."

"Got it."

"Understood."

Now the burden of finding a way to destroy Caster and his giant demon would be left to the King of Knights and the Knight of Fianna, neither of whom has the capability to deal with Caster at the moment, no matter how much time he managed to buy.

Lancer's skills and Noble Phantasms was not designed to strike against such a huge adversary and could thus be considered useless.

Saber, on the other hand, was on the same boat. While she does possess a Noble Phantasm that could obliterate the giant, she could not use it due to the injury inflicted upon her by Lancer. She could of course ask Lancer to lift the curse, but her honor and sense of pride as a knight does not permit her.

Unaware that he would likely be just waiting his time and energy, Rider was just about to take off on his chariot when...

A massive surge of prana suddenly spiked from the riverbank on the other side.

'_What was that?' _Was the thought that entered the minds of the five allies.

Taken by surprise, Rider paused for a few seconds. Then, with a shake of his head, he pulled on the reigns of Gordius Wheel and started flying towards Caster's monster to proceed with the operation.

**xxxXXXxxx**

Not wasting any time, Ichigo shot towards the giant squid-like creature in a flash of shunpo.

In a few seconds, the distance between her and the monster was reduced to twenty meters .Now, without the mist hindering her vision, she could see the demonic squid-like giant in its full wicked majesty. It was definitely not a pretty sight.

Size, in truth, was no longer something that fazed Ichigo. She had, after all, faced large enemies before and triumphed. In fact, the ones that caused her the most problems were only the size of ordinary humans yet wield far greater power.

The problem Ichigo could see was not the size of the squid, but rather, the combination of size with high speed regeneration.

Without warning, multiple tentacles shot from the monster towards Ichigo. She destroyed the large lumps of rotten meat with relative ease. More shot out at her and she did the same with them, slicing through them like knife through butter. Still, even though she could easily cut them, Ichigo knew that doing so was pointless.

Having observed the battle between the two aircrafts which was still continuing up in the sky, Ichigo saw that the projectiles they held, one firing a darkened version of typical modern day missiles while the other shooting out what seemed to be swords, could deal the monster great damage, as they did when said projectiles hit the sea demon 'accidentally'. However, the damage healed instantly, almost as quickly as when it was destroyed.

Ichigo knew there was only one way defeat an enemy like this: to utterly destroy it with one attack.

Defeating it would certainly not be an easy task.

Even then, the Substitute Shinigami's determination will not waver. No matter what happens, she will defeat it.

Ichigo has never considered herself a heroine nor does she deserve to be called one, at least in her opinion. The actions she had undertaken prove it.

When she went to Soul Society to save Rukia, she only cared about the wellbeing of her friends and family. She did not care about anyone else. She did not care that her actions could cause problems to the people in the afterlife.

Her reasons were the same when she went to Hueco Mundo to save Orihime.

Her reasons were the same when she destroyed Aizen.

Her actions may have saved the world, but that was never her intention. The number of people Ichigo counts as friends and family has become quite large, which now included a number of the Shinigami in Soul Society.

Yet, they are all she cared about, not the world.

Ichigo would never actively move to help people who were neither friends nor family.

But then, neither would she turn her back on people in need in front of her eyes or was aware of, even if the odds were severely not in her favour.

In her eighteen years of existence, Ichigo had been faced by so many insurmountable odds.

The current threat in front of her was no different. The monster was something insurmountable.

And yet she would surmount it.

Not because she felt that she could surmount it.

Not because she wanted to surmount it.

But because she had to surmount it.

Zangetsu was only in their shikai form. Ichigo knew it would not be enough.

There was only one thing left for her to do.

"Bankai!"

The river suddenly became turbulent. Large waves up to three meters in height began crashing towards the riverbank. At the epicentre of the surge, one could see a swirling mass of dense blackness that was thick with raw power, before vanishing as the conversion was completed.

"Tensa Zangetsu." Ichigo declared to no one particular, having simply been used to calling out the name of her zanpakuto's bankai. Still, saying their true name was not just a useless rant, as doing so somehow increase their power even further.

Unlike the large cleaver she had moments before, Ichigo now held a smaller sword in her hands, a black Japanese long sword with a short black chain dangling at the edge of its hilt. Her travelling clothes that consisted of a white blouse with a blue ribbon and skirt was now replaced with a long-leeved, ankle length black coat, a portion of her bankai that increases Ichigo defence, able to block the brunt of powerful attacks yet at the same time not hindering her movements.

Unlike most zanpakuto final releases, Ichigo's bankai becomes smaller instead of larger. However, one must not be deceived by its size as unlike other bankai which expand with the increase in power, hers simply compress it instead as if to suit its wielder's fighting style. This form enables Ichigo to use far greater strength and speed than in shikai form.

That aside, this form also greater increases the power and scope of something else...

Closing her eyes, Ichigo started gathering her reiatsu into her zanpakuto, body and sword once again emitting a black radiance. The air around her thickened with the raw energy she released. The waves of the already turbulent waters increased even further in height.

Having poured her reiatsu into it to its maximum capacity, Ichigo's eyes shot open as she raised Tensa Zangetsu high into the air.

"GETSUGA... TENSHOU!"

A ray of black light with a red outline erupted from Tensa Zangetsu the moment she swung her sword downward.

The river released a faint hissing sound as the dark beam cause the water to evaporate in a burst of steam.

The black light reached its mark. The sea demon, which was standing tall and formidable just a second before, was engulfed by the swirling and surging torrent of darkness, every single cell composing its body disintegrated.

An explosion of energy caused a massive shockwave of reiatsu, the blast that destroyed the demon bursting skywards in a pillar of blackness.

No spec nor trace of the monstrous creature was left, completely and utterly destroyed by the Moon Fang Heaven Piercer, the signature technique of the female Substitute Shinigami.

With the monster now obliterated, Ichigo sighed with relief, although she did not let her guard down nor did she leave her bankai state. The main threat has now been eliminated but there were still other large reiatsu signatures in the area, though thankfully the other two major threats, the two dog fighters, were no longer present.

In truth, after destroying the sea demon, Ichigo intended to shoot down the two spirit power enhanced fighter planes that were making a huge mess and endangering the lives of people by their theatrics. It seemed as if it was no longer necessary.

Not that she was complaining of course. After all, their disappearance means that they were no longer a threat, at least for the time being... which means less work for the Substitute Shinigami.

Now she could focus her attention on her true objective of going to Fuyuki.

From the corner of her eye, Ichigo could see something heading in her direction with incredible speed: a lightning shrouded flying chariot that was emitting a large amount of reiatsu... a sight which both worried and confused her.

On one hand, the chariot held great power, and if she knew anything about lightning and electricity, it was that it could move at incredible speeds that surpass even her own.

On the other hand, Ichigo could not help but blink, as even in the distance, she could tell that the chariot was being pulled by...

"Holy cow. _Flying Cows?!_"

The sight unnerved her in more ways than one. However, she did not linger on this thought for long, knowing it was not the time to think about such trivialities.

Exhausted after eliminating the giant squid using a massive Getsuga Tenshou, Ichigo had no intention of facing the chariot or whoever was driving it, not when she was not fighting at full power. Even though she has confidence in her own skills, the young Substitute Soul Reaper, while still retaining her headstrong and straightforward attitude for the most part, has learned to be more careful and subtle, to care more for herself.

For the sake of her friends who had done everything they can to save her, Ichigo knew that making sure that she did not die (unless there was no other option) was the only way to repay them and not waste their effort.

Her mind made up, Ichigo shunpoed away from the river, heading out to continue her original mission.

**xxxXXXxxx**

The participants of the Grail War near the riverbank, Master(in the case of Irisviel, acting Master) and Servant alike, were stunned speechless. Just moments before they were struggling with extreme difficulty against Caster and the monster he summoned.

Now that threat was gone, and the river area was peaceful once again.

And yet, despite the newly-acquired tranquillity, none of them managed to have a peace of mind. The way that Caster was eliminated only added to their inner turmoil.

Darkness, that was what it was. A dense, impenetrable beam of darkness was what overwhelmed the sea demon, vaporizing it like the water around it until there was nothing left. Such power is indeed something which a Servant, a Heroic Spirit, was capable of.

However, all of them knew that it was not a Servant behind the monster's destruction.

Assassin was already dead.

Lancer and Saber were both at the riverbank. Rider was flying towards the monster with his chariot and at the same time as the black energy erupted, Archer and Berserker were still engaged in battle.

In other words, none of the Servants could have been responsible for it.

Due to the angle from which they were watching, none of the four individuals standing by the side of the river saw who or what was responsible for that sudden burst of light, each one of them feeling a mixture of relief and worry at what transpired.

Relief, at the fact that the despicable Servant and his great threat of a creation were eliminated.

Worry, at the addition of an unknown variable to the equation.

However, out of the four of them, there was no one who was more worried than the acting Master of Saber, Irisviel von Einzbern. Being the vessel of the Grail, Irisviel had once again absorbed a Servant, and with every Servant she summoned, the more she grows weaker as a human.

Avalon. It was a powerful Noble Phantasm which belonged to Saber. Normally, Irisviel would no longer have been capable of even walking after absorbing one Servant, namely Assassin. However, because of the sheath, she was still able to function as a human, albeit she had to shut down a few human traits, including her sense of touch.

It was not exactly something Irisviel was happy about, deceiving Saber and not telling her about Avalon, but she believed in her husband, who thought it was a necessary evil.

The King of Knights was not aware of Avalon's presence, yet she was unconsciously feeding it energy that was helping keep Irisviel's human side alive, thought it had its limits.

Being the vessel of the Grail, Irisviel had once again absorbed a Servant, and with every Servant she summoned, the more she grows weaker as a human.

And yet, instead of growing weaker, even though she absorbed Caster's energy, she was feeling stronger; in fact, just as well as she felt when she had not yet absorbed a single Servant.

_What is going on here?_

Irisviel could not understand why, yet for some reason, even though no one else seemed to notice, the signature of the prana which powered the powerful dark energy blast that obliterated the sea demon...

Is eerily identical to Saber's.

**xxxXXXxxx**

**To be continued.**

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTES**

Alright, people. This is the first chapter for my new fic Bleach: Fade to Zero. This naturally follows canon storyline, until the part where Ichigo defeats Aizen.

Now, here are a few details for the differences in this Bleach Semi-AU:

1. Ichigo is female. That is pretty much obvious.

2. Rukia, though Ichigo only realized it recently, was not the first Soul Reaper she met.

3. Aizen is dead, not in prison.

4. Certain Espada originally thought to be dead are found to be alive.

5. Gin Ichimaru is alive. Ichigo arrives just in time to stop Aizen from slashing him.

6. Ichigo does not have fullbring since her powers recovered a different way. Ginjou,Tsukishima and others does exist here though, and may or may not appear later.

7. The Lost Shinigami Arc and other Arcs after Aizen's defeat will be ignored.

8. Ichigo knows about the truth of her powers, and she is at peace with her Hollow-Zanpakuto part and Quincy-Zanpakuto part. She can access full power without needing to wear a mask. While her powers are mostly similar to canon, there will be some differences. Also, she has good reiatsu control that despite the enormous amount of it she can seal her sword. She learned the hard way that a Zanpakuto in Shikai state can be felt by sharp sensors even if she is suppressing her energy.

9. Using Final Getsuga Tenshou is dangerous not just because she will lose her powers but because her chance of surviving it is very, very slim.

10. Ichigo has a unique connection to a certain legend.

11. Yhwach may or may not appear later but if he did he and the Quincy will not be antagonists. I may or may not develop the plot much since it is not that relevant to this fic but they will have some sort of mutual peaceful relationship with Soul Reapers. Whatever plans he has in canon he does not intend to do here. Of course, Quincy and Soul Reapers generally will not lift even a finger to help each other unless there is a very high incentive. They are simply not trying to kill each other.

12. Ichigo's mother died not because Yhwach turned her power off but because of something Aizen did that made her unable to use it.

That would be it for the list for now.

As for the Fate/Zero Universe it will follow canon. However, since this is a crossover, more information connecting both plotlines will be added later.

By the way, here is a partial portion of Kurosaki Ichigo's profile (full profile will be posted in later chapters).

* * *

Name: Kurosaki Ichigo

Affiliation: Karakura Town, Soul Society, Urahara Shop

Gender: Female

Character Type: Human/Substitute Soul Reaper

Zanpakuto:Shiro and Kuro (Zangetsu)_. _It is basically one sword with two personalities, one of a wise lady, the other of a battle addict/freak but still overall kind in nature since she wants to avoid killing unless there is no other option due to _therapy_. (Other details will be revealed later.)

Birthday: July 15

Age: 18

Height: 154 cm

Weight: 42 kg

Three Sizes: B73/W53/H76

Hair Colour: Blond

Eye Color: Green

Family

Isshin Kurosaki (Father)

Masaki Kurosaki (Mother)

Karin Kurosaki (Sister)

Yuzu Kurosaki (Sister)

Likes: Friends and Family, Challenges

Dislikes: Those who hurt her friends and family

Talent: Athletics, fighting, gambling, healing (dreams of becoming a doctor who saves people)

Natural Enemy: Arturia Pendragon

Image Color: Gold/Black

Stats: In Servant Terms

Normal Daily Life/Using Shikai (Zangetsu) (B Rank as Noble Phantasm)

Strength: C

Endurance: A

Agility: B

Reiryoku/Mana: B

Luck: B

Using Bankai (Tensa Zangetsu) (A++ as Noble Phantasm)

Strength: C

Endurance:A+

Agility: A++

Reiryoku/Mana: A+

Luck: A

Other Skills:

Magic/Reiatsu Resistance: A+(D when not using her Zanpakuto)

Charisma: B

Instinct: B+ (A+ if certain conditions are met)

Shunpo (Flash Step) A

Avalon Connection- For reasons unknown, Ichigo's energy can activate/reacts to Avalon

Getsuga Tenshou/Moon Fang Heaven Piercer (A when fired in Shikai form, A++ in Bankai Form)

* * *

But enough about that for now...

And like always, I hope you enjoy reading this chapter...

Later then, people...


	2. Chapter 2

******Disclaimer:** I do not own Bleach or Type-Moon, and I am only borrowing characters, plots, ideas, etc purely for entertainment purpose only.

* * *

**Chapter 2**

An Inner World is basically a landscape that is a representation of the soul of a shinigami. Generally, all Soul Reapers possess an Inner World, and it is in this place where their Zanpakuto resides.

Just as it is with all Soul Reapers, the Inner World is a unique place. Here, not only are they able to meet and face their Zanpakuto spirits, they are also able to train just as if they had been doing so in the real world. Of course, a disadvantage of this is that any injury they receive will also reflect on their real body and if they die... then the Inner World will collapse, and will also die in the real world. Still, when weighing the pros and cons, utilizing the mindscape can be very convenient.

One second in her Inner World, as she found out after counting for a while, is equivalent to twelve hours in the real world. Because of this, she has plenty of time to train and become stronger.

The unique characteristic of the Inner World, combined with her own stubbornness and (though she does not believe she has it) natural talent for learning quickly, are major factors that allowed her to become powerful in a short amount of real world time.

While it is true that Ichigo is only eighteen years old physically, considering all the time she spent training in her Inner World, she is actually decades older, both in knowledge and experience.

Now, one might argue that that should not be possible, since no matter how much time she spends in her Inner World, she can only study the knowledge that she has already learned or had been instilled in her soul from birth like swordsmanship and the Getsuga Tenshou, which her spirit intimately knew because of her father.

However, it must be noted that Rukia had once transferred her Soul Reaper powers to Ichigo which in turn, transferred a large portion of her own knowledge to her soul. While the substitute shinigami did not have access to it, her Zanpakuto spirits did. Even up to this day Ichigo does not know it since her zanpakuto spirits did not bother to tell her, but the truth is that both Shiro and Kuro have access to a considerable portion of Rukia's memories.

Of course, it was only natural that neither would share this information with their Shinigami unless it was absolutely necessary. After all, while individuals on their own, they are also part of Ichigo, and thus share the same view with regards to another person's privacy (even Shiro). The important stuff with regards to fighting and education, however, were details that were free for use.

Thus, Ichigo, to the surprise of her teachers, had become a linguist who is proficient in various dialects, including English, French, Spanish and others. Even though Japanese is the main language used in Soul Society, the type of job they have requires them to be proficient in at least twenty in case of rare emergencies in which they have to communicate with the living. She had also become proficient in math, history and literature, as well as fighting and a number of virtues.

And yet, patience is not one of her better-learned virtues.

One might think that because she had been technically living mentally for decades she would have at least learned how to be patient. However, while she is now able to control her emotions better, she is still as short-tempered as she ever was.

The fact that her skills had been greatly enhanced and sharpened, ironically, only made things worse. It is a known fact that a person who is an immensely skilled fighter can see their opponents' extremely fast movement as if they were moving like a normal person and thus react accordingly.

However, that meant that people who are moving at a normal speed would be perceived to be moving slowly.

_Where the hell is he? I've been looking for him for ages,_ thought Ichigo to herself, an overestimate of the century.

Not only had her skills as a fighter rendered her years in her Inner World to lengthen her patience useless, with Shiro's irritating behavior cancelling out anything about it she learned from Kuro, it had also somehow messed up her perception of time in the real world from time to time, which did not help in the particular matter either.

Only ten minutes had passed since Ichigo left the river yet to her it seems as if hours had passed already.

Normally, things only start to move slowly once she was in the middle combat like an ability that is passively activated and would immediately recede during a brief pause or when the fighting stops. However, there are times when she perceives things in that way even when she is not clashing blades with someone.

Ichigo may have learned how to cope with it now and not let it affect her normal life (as normal as it can be for someone like her), but it was still irritating, especially when she is talking to someone. Whenever she is in conversation and she 'speeds up' while things 'slow down…' watching the person she is talking to take ages to utter a single syllable is not exactly a pleasant experience.

The only up side of it all is that even though she cannot predict when it happens outside of combat, she can still force her sped up perception to return to normal without much problem.

Realizing she had once again entered this state, Ichigo focused until everything seemed to be moving at their correct pace.

?!

And just as she did so, the Substitute Shinigami felt it...

_This reiatsu... It's him! _

Finally finding her intended target, Ichigo started running in the direction of the familiar energy.

**xxxXXXxxx**

_What in the world am I doing?_

A few minutes before, Kotomine Kirei, former Executor for the Holy Church, had witnessed his teacher, Tokiomi, engage an enemy in a one-sided battle. Naturally, being the superior magus, Kirei's teacher one the contest against Matou Kariya with ease, and the amateur's body was engulfed in Tokiomi's flames before he lost his balance and fell off the railings.

The fact that Tokiomi was victorious, however, was a moot point.

As the man's 'friend' and student, Kirei had always made it a point to always come to his aid. This time, however, instead of helping Tokiomi in his fight against Kariya, regardless of the result, he had instead opted to stand back and watch from the shadows.

His inaction is something that can easily be given an excuse by Kirei if ever he was noticed. After all, all he has to say is that he has confidence in Tokiomi's skills, and that he would have stepped in if he saw that his teacher was in any real danger.

However, he did not do it for some reason, and as for the reason as to why he did not help, even Kirei himself could not understand.

But more importantly, while his inaction would have been excusable, what he did afterwards was not.

The instant Tokiomi caused Kariya to fall from the rooftop of the apartment, as if recognizing it as a complete victory, he did not even check his enemy's corpse. Though half-shocked by his teacher's audacity, Kirei naturally went looking for Kariya's body to make up for his teacher's mistake. And he was right in thinking that Tokiomi made an error: Matou Kariya was still alive.

Instead of finishing off the Master of Berserker as the loyal student of Tokiomi Tohsaka should do, Kirei had instead retracted his Black Keys. When he realized what he was doing, Kirei was already using his prana to heal his teacher's nemesis, an action tantamount to betrayal.

Kirei did not know exactly why he did it. Perhaps it was because of the words that Archer told him, to observe the other Masters and see if there is someone who finds interesting before going for Emiya Kiritsugu.

But no, despite their earlier impact, the words of the King of Heroes was the furthest thing from the Executor's mind at the moment.

_"...You want them to fight each other? Sister against sister?!" _

Kirei did not know exactly why. Words like this, mundane human emotions had never had any effect on him. What other people call happiness has never brought him any joy. He was a void, a twisted person who, while refusing to admit it to himself, revelled in the misery of others and had thus, as repentance, continued punishing himself, without any direction in life.

And yet, when the battle between his teacher and the Master of Berserker was fought, those similar words, the similar source of anger that had never affected him in the past, somehow managed to get a rise of emotion from the Executor. An emotion which Kirei never thought he had.

Pity, for the man who had no hope of winning yet doing everything he can. Pity, for the daughter of his teacher, who was not only sent to a life that was a living hell.

Anger... at the ones responsible.

To set up his own daughters to slaughter each other no matter what the reason was... _unacceptable_?

?!

For some unknown reason, the memory of his wife's death suddenly popped into Kirei's head.

How he tried his best to love Claudia, yet never managing to do so. How he cried when she took her own life, not because he loved her, but because he wanted to kill her with his own hands, because he would have found joy of doing it himself.

Or would he?

_You are mistaken. You did not want to kill her. You simply did not want her taken from you._

Kirei could not understand, yet for the first time in his life, his own voice from within him was telling him that he was wrong, and it was not because he was the son of a righteous priest either.

No, the feeling he was having had nothing to do with being raised to have a moral fortitude.

It was a thought that came from his own... _conscience_?

_What is this?_

For the first time in his life, he noticed it. He felt as if he had a gaping hole in his chest, as if it was desperately trying to mend itself.

As if... there was something missing.

All his life, Kirei felt that he had born different and defective, and with the principles that had been instilled in him contradicting his true self, he could not help but question why someone as flawed as himself was even born into existence.

Now, for some reason he could not understand, he had come to a conclusion. The reason why he was the way he is... was because of something he had lost. Yet he did not even know exactly what it was that he had lost.

It was all too confusing.

He was confused and worried. Yet, at the same time, along with his feeling of nervousness, there was this feeling of longing.

Kirei found himself clutching at his own heart, as he tried to investigate within himself what could have caused this unexpected change.

And then, he realized...

_That darkness..._

Yes, ever since he had seen that pillar of black light destroy Caster and his giant demon, the Executor had been feeling that something was strange, and now he was fully conscious of it.

For some reason, the prana signature that seemed so nostalgically familiar had somehow affected him.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm healing him," Kirei replied casually to the question, as he continued using his spell to patch up the wounds of the Matou Master who was lying on the pavement. He was almost done with the first aid, and what was left to do was bring the magus back to his house so that he could be treated further. "This man has received serious injuries from a recent encounter and if not treated immediately, would put his life in danger."

"I see," the female voice stated. "Do you need any help?"

"No thanks, I've g- ?!"

Kirei tensed. Despite being an Executor who has years of battle experience, he had let his guard down. Someone had managed to sneak up on him.

Realizing his folly, Kirei immediately summoned his Black Keys to his hands and spun around at speeds that was beyond human and face the enemy.

Or at least, tried to spin around.

He was not fast enough, and before he knew it, the priest was feeling pain unimaginable that his hands lost their grip on the long thin blades he had materialized.

Kirei heard the sound of metal tearing through flesh. Looking down at his own body, he realized what happened.

A sword was sticking through his chest where his heart was located.

The Executor was as good as dead.

Despite the immense pain he felt and the paralysis that was setting in, Kirei forced himself to tilt his body, or at least his head. At the very least, he wanted to know who was the perpetrator, though he already had a good idea.

The voice that he heard no doubt belonged to Saber, the Servant of the Sword.

Emiya Kiritsugu must have gotten the drop on him, taking full advantage of the Executor's vulnerability.

Sure enough, when he turned around, Kirei found himself at the familiar face of the female King of Knights.

Or was it?

When he looked at the Servant of the Sword, he could not help but feel that something was amiss.

Then he noticed it.

The King of Knights, as Kirei knew full well, wore a silver armour and wields an invisible blade.

The person in front of him, however, was wearing a long-sleeved, ankle-length black coat which is closed at his chest and left to flare out into ragged ends. And the sword she wields is not the English style one that Assassin had reported but instead a black Japanese style sword.

One thing was for certain. Kirei's initial conclusion was wrong. This was not Saber.

But then, even if that was the case, it would not change anything. Kirei could not move anymore, no matter how he tried. Even if he was able to, with his heart destroyed, it was unlikely he would be able to get far with the injury he sustained.

And yet...

_What is this? Why is she looking at me like that? Why does she seem so familiar?_

Even though he was dying, Kirei actually forgot that his life would be soon be over. His mind was numbed, and all he could do was wonder why, why, the girl who looked identical to Saber was looking at him strangely, like someone who had finally found a long lost loved one...

"There are many things I want to tell you right now, Oji-san, but since I'm not really good at speeches, I'll just let the sword do the talking."

Kirei's vision was suddenly engulfed in white, and before he knew what was happening, he felt something surge from within him, like a geyser that had finally found a means to escape to the surface, countless unfamiliar yet seeming familiar images flashing all around him.

The Executor did not know how much time had passed, as in the place he was in, there was no way of telling. Even now, he was still baffled.

Was this it?

'_**Kirei...'**_

Were these delusions that a person experience when they die?

'_**Kirei...'**_

Does a person tend to see and hear things before they finally pass on?

'_**Kirei...'**_

The priest could not understand it. This was not something that has been taught to the Executors by the Holy Church. Yet, before he knew it, his body had started moving on its own.

The white world has disappeared, and now he was standing on a marble pavement.

The sky above him was filled with dark clouds, rain pouring heavily, on both sides of him were green walls from whence black flowers were blooming.

He was in a maze, and the heavy rain was soaking the priest to the bone. He was dead, yet why was he feeling cold?

'_**Kirei... please... find me...'**_

The priest did not know what made him do it. All he knew, was that his body was acting on its own. Without thinking, on instinct, Kirei started running desperately, not to shelter himself from the storm, but to reach the voice which has been calling him.

Unmindful of the pitiful state he was in, Kirei continued trudging on, falling now and again into the now muddy ground, yet standing up again.

Minutes, hours, Kirei did not know how much time has passed.

Yet he struggled. Yet he persevered. For the first time he could remember, Kirei was doing something that he truly desired.

Finally, after what Kirei felt like an eternity, he managed to reach his destination.

He was now at the centre of the labyrinth. the eye of the storm. Unlike the surrounding areas, the place was devoid from turmoil, and the sun was shining down upon the beautiful garden.

And at the middle of it all, she was standing. With her light grey hair, her white sleeping gown that was black on the edges, and an eye patch covering one of her eyes, there was no mistake about it. The gentle smile on her face... she could not have been anyone else.

'_Claudia...'_

'_**It's been a long time, my beloved.'**_

Tears started falling from the eyes of Kotomine Kirei.

Without another word, Kirei rushed forward and embraced the woman who had been with him for two years.

No, that would not be accurate. It is true that she had been with him physically for two years, yet the time they have been together was much longer than that, and he had only realized it.

All the time since he had first picked her up, she had never left his side, and he was too stupid, too engrossed in self loathing to notice, and he hated himself even more for it. In the two years that they had been married, not once did he realize that she was actually her.

At the moment, though, the details of how or why it happened did not matter much to the crying Kotomine Kirei, his face buried in her chest, while the woman caressed his hair affectionately.

Contrary to the tears falling from his eyes, the emotion which the priest felt was actually happiness. The storm in the sky has vanished as if it had never been there, fluffy clouds that seemed to be smiling gently floating in it in the tempest's place. The full moon shone brilliantly in the evening sky, as the stars twinkled, the black flowers surround them seemingly glowing to join in the celebration.

Finally, after so long, he understood. He had finally found the answer which he had been looking for so desperately.

The hole in his chest that had tormented him for so long... has finally closed.

**xxxXXXxxx**

Just as all these things happened to the Church Executor, the truth is that only a few seconds had passed in the real world.

'_Looks like it worked.'_

A girl wielding a black katana had it rest on her shoulders, smirking to herself, as she saw the sword that materialized in the man's hands. Just like Ichigo, all Substitute Shinigami have the ability to fight at full power even when they are in their physical body.

Most of Ichigo's friends back in Karakura Town and Soul Society believe that she went on this delivery mission unwillingly, forced by some blackmail material that Uruhara probably had.

The truth, however, is not so.

She had chosen to go on this mission not because someone forced or coerced her, but rather, it was because she wanted to.

Because she needed to.

To Soul Society, just like Ichigo was, the young man was a hero.

To Ichigo, however, the young man who was her objective in this mission was more than just a hero.

In fact, if Ichigo were to be honest, she did not really care about the man's accomplishments as a Shinigami Representative or, as Kisuke implied, according to recent information he has acquired, a 'vampire slayer.'

It was on that rainy day when Ichigo was only six years old when they first met. Being young and naive, Ichigo was lured into the trap of the Hollow known as the Grand Fisher, and as a consequence of her actions, her mother died trying to save her. Having lost her Quincy powers, which Ichigo later was found was due to Aizen, she had been unable to fight back and was thus devoured by the Hollow.

Weak and helpless at the time, the truth is that Ichigo would have died on that day as well... if it wasn't for him. The man had come just in time to save her.

Traumatize, the young girl did manage to say the two words which she owed him, and Ichigo had completely forgotten about him for a while... until she saw him again six years later.

It was a nice and sunny summer day at the beach. Ichigo's father, due to Karin complaining about the heat, decided to visit the beach. It was a rather fun trip, especially Ichigo was also feeling the heat and it had actually gone perfectly... if only that incident did not happen.

Her father, being the weirdo that he is, had the nerve to train Ichigo in kendo and martial arts in the middle of the beach, spoiling her fun and catching the attention of many lookers.

Because of it, she had lost sight of her sisters, though she was only slightly worried. Karin and Yuzu were both excellent swimmers despite their age after all and could take care of themselves.

Or so she thought.

Ichigo still could not forget it, the second time she had felt so useless. While it is true that her sisters knew how to swim, even though she was now an expert at it, Ichigo at the time was not a good swimmer. In fact, she could not swim at all.

Thus, all she could do was watch helplessly as her sisters, undoubtedly suffering from cramps, struggled desperately in the water.

And then she saw a man jump into the water and saved her sisters.

Yet once again, she failed to utter those two simple words that she now owed him twice over.

That man was Kotomine Kirei.

He was the young man who saved Ichigo's life once.

He was the young man who save the life of her sisters when she was helpless and could nothing.

And he is the man whose brown eyes were currently narrowed, and had the sharp edge of a long Japanese style sword placed on Ichigo's neck.

"Who are you?"

Ichigo could not help but curse inwardly. Kisuke had warned her that something like this could happen. After all, the sword made of reiatsu that Mr. Hat and Clogs gave her was only meant to restore Kirei's shinigami powers and his memories of the entire time he was a Substitute Soul Reaper.

Of course, if it had been either Kisuke or Yoruichi or anyone who knew him well enough during that time period was the one sent, there would have been no problem since Kirei would know them well enough.

Apparently, to the man who Kisuke said had spent his life slaying evil even after losing his Soul Reaper Powers, Ichigo was just another of the countless many whose lives he had saved, not important enough for him to remember clearly.

Knowing how delicate the situation is, especially with the injured man who seriously looked like he needed treatment lying on the pavement, Ichigo decided to go for the straightforward approach. Though she did not know a lot of the details, the priest probably knows enough about the afterlife now for them to have a civilized conversation.

"Kurosaki Ichigo, Shinigami Representative."

The brown-haired man raised his eyebrows."Kurosaki? You are related to the former Captain of the Tenth Division?"

"Yes, he is my father."

A tense moment of silence passed between them.

"I see..." The man said finally as he removed his sword from Ichigó's neck and sheathed it. To Ichigo's surprise, the man who she was told was overly cautious had a relaxed posture.

Apparently the man knew her father is a Shinigami, which meant that the two must have been acquainted, well enough for him to trust her despite not knowing much about her.

"By the way, do you know any healing kido?" The man inquired.

Ichigo shook her head silently in response. While it is true that she is now able to use some of the basic shinigami spells, she still has a lot of trouble controlling them. Any attempts she make at healing someone could end up with her blowing them up instead, just like what happened with several of the lifeless dolls Uruhara provided her to practice on.

The man with brown hair nodded his head curtly. Then, he gently lifted the man with white hair and placed him on his back.

"While I would like to know what your purpose is, I believe it is better if we discuss it elsewhere. This man needs treatment. I have healed his wounds as well as I could but he is assailed by a unique condition that is beyond what I am capable of healing. With my meager skills in kido I doubt there is anything more I could for him. The longer he stays out here, the less chance he has of surviving the night."

"Right," the blonde-haired female replied, just as the man in front of him seemed to vanish into thin air as he used shunpo to move away.

Ichigo gave a long weary sigh, both out of relief and disappointment, as she also used Flash Step to follow the man where he was going.

Those two words she owed him would just have to wait for later...

**xxxXXXxxx**

A little over an hour has passed since Caster and his sea demon has been vanquished.

Two Servants were eliminated and now only five remained, namely Saber, Lancer, Archer, Rider and Berserker.

To the mediator of the war, Kotomime Risei, this was definitely something positive. Now that that particular insane Servant who loved going for publicity was gone, the Holy Grail War could finally get back to normal.

At least, that was what Risei thought would happen. Instead, the development was bringing him a large amount of stress that was much more than what was healthy.

Unknown to everyone else, Risei was actually doing poorly as a mediator of the deadly competition, due to the fact that he was actually allied with one of the participants. Tohsaka Tokiomi would be the one to get the Grail, and as part of the plan, they had intended for Archer to be the one to finish off Caster so that Tokiomi can be legitimately allowed to receive and extra Command Spell. Even though they were allies, both Rise and the head of the Tohsaka clan believed that it best to keep up appearances to avoid further complication, like having the Mage Association or the Church swoop down upon them for 'improper conduct.'

Unfortunately, Risei could not give out the intended Command Seal to his ally. Despite Archer reluctantly attacking the sea demon, it was apparent to his workers that witnessed the whole incident that the half-hearted assault the Servant of the Bow was useless. True, the sea demon was damaged, but by overall 'fair' assessment, Archer's 'assistance' did not deserve his Master getting a Command Seal.

Of course, Risei would only be too happy to make an oversight, but the fact that there were other Servant and Masters who witnessed it meant that he could not act with prejudice without the unfairness becoming too obvious.

Due to the circumstances by which Caster has been defeated, it was fortunate that none of the other Masters could claim that they deserve to receive a Command Seal. In fact, less than an hour before, Risei almost lost his life when a former Master tried to shoot him when he refused to give him one.

Fortunately, Risei was on guard from the obvious deception, and managed to kill the former Master, Kayneth before the latter could do the same to him.

He may be Lord El Melloi the prodigy and renowned magus from the Mage Association, but the trespass committed by the magus was enough for Rise to be able to kill him without repercussions. The Archibalds may want revenge for what happened, but once they know the entire story, they would probably leave it be. If Risei's predictions were correct, a member of the Archibalds would probably visit him later not for revenge, but rather, to apologize for the behaviour of their former head.

Kayneth's 'dishonorable actions' and 'use of unorthodox and mundane methods' like using a gun would bring him down pegs in their eyes and would probably be considered a shame of the family. The fact that his magic circuits were destroyed would only aid to discredit him further, since his body itself would lose a lot of value.

Now all he had to do was hide the fact that he was the one who killed Kayneth from Lancer and his current Master. Considering the 'relationship' between Sola and Lord El Melloi, the priest was certain he was unlikely to get any retribution from them, and probably did not pay her fiancée any heed once she got the Command Spells for herself.

However, since Lancer is honourable he thought it better to be safe than sorry. Thus, he ordered his men to hide the body of the magus and preserve it until the Grail War was over.

Risei, despite his combat skills, only narrowly avoided death. In fact, had he not seen the crippled man pull out the pistol, he probably would have been. Still, what was important is that this particular issue has been resolved.

The Command Seal issue, however, was only a minor part of the entire problem.

It is not uncommon for participants in the Grail War to elicit assistance from others. Even if they have a powerful Heroic Spirit as their tool, some, especially those with comparatively weak Servant, tend to seek additional help. The third war in which the Nazis became involved was proof of that. While it may be considered rather underhanded, Risei could not stop such a course of action, not just because he was working for Tokiomi, but because according to the rules, this was an acceptable tactic.

So long as the help came exclusively from magi and not from mundane non-magical which goes against the secrecy rule, the mediator was in no position to place a penalty or disqualify the Master that chose to go for this course of action.

One of their enemies has managed to find a powerful ally, and the worst part is that they have no idea which of their four remaining opponents this magus has an allegiance with. The fact that he was able to destroy Caster's sea demon which was practically immortal and A+ as a Noble Phantasm, meant that whatever Mystic Code or magic the magus was using was on par with the Heroic Spirits.

Thus, the worries of Kotomine was piling up, though he knew that his ally who was the one seeking Akasha was more worried than himself. From the conversation they had earlier, the head of the Tohsaka family could hardly keep his distress from being evident in his voice.

While Tokiomi may sound calm and composed, to Risei, who is rather good friends with the magus, he could easily tell that the head of the Tohsaka clan was very nervous.

"Father."

"Ah, Kirei-kun," Risei greeted his son as he turned in the direction of the door, only for him to freeze on the spot, as he realized who his son was carrying on his back.

It was Matou Kariya, the Master of Berserker. And walking beside Kirei with her hands in her pocket was...

Saber?

"Father..." Risei's son repeated in a solemn voice.

"We need to talk."

**xxxXXXxxx**

**To be continued...**

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTES**

Alright, another chapter out. Now, in this chapter, the main supporting character was revealed... did any of you expect who it turned out to be? I can't tell so tell me in the reviews if you have time.

Yep, not much happened in this chapter, and not everything is explained yet, though that is on purpose.

As I should say early on, this fic is Main Character centric so most scenes will focus on them. Right now honestly I still have a hard time trying to see how to go with this but at least my main obstacle which is trying to fit a villain into a not-so-villainous role has been fulfilled.

So basically, there are a couple main unknown pasts and the fate of certain Servants presented, as well as connections of various sorts between certain individuals. I've written down a number of summed up scenes already and I must say it's not easy choosing from them.

One thing is for sure though, just to warn those who expect canon scenes to sprout. Sorry, but everything from here on out will be different from canon. So sorry no epic Gil vs Rider scene, nor will there be Saber vs Rider chase.

Yep, I suppose that should be all for now. Just keep watch for my updates if you want to know what happens next and what is behind what, why something became the way it is, etc.

By the way, here is the partial information for the second main character in this fic.

* * *

Name: Kirei Kotomine

Affiliation: The Holy Church (formerly), Uruhara Shoten, Kurosaki Clinic, Karakura Town

Character Type: Human/Executor/Substitute Soul Reaper

Zanpakuto: Not yet Revealed

Gender: Male

Birthday: December 28, 1967

Age: 27

Height: 185 cm

Weight: 82 kg

Blood type: B

Place of Birth: Japan

Hair color: Brown

Eye color: Brown

Family

Risei Kotomine (Father)

Claudia Hortensia (Wife)

Caren Hortensia (Daughter)

Likes: Suffering of Evil

Dislikes: Heroism, Hypocrisy

Talents: Cooking, particularly talented in making excellent spicy mapo tofu

Natural enemy: Himself

Image Color: Black/Blue

Stats: In Servant Terms

Normal Daily Life/Using Shikai (Not yet Revealed)

Strength: B

Endurance: B

Agility: C

Reiryoku/Mana: B

Luck: C

Using Bankai (Not Yet Revealed)

Strength: C

Endurance:A

Agility: A+

Reiryoku/Mana: A+

Luck: B

Other Skills:

Not yet revealed.

* * *

And like always, I hope you enjoy reading this chapter...

Later then, people...


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Bleach or Type-Moon, and I am only borrowing characters, plots, ideas, etc purely for entertainment purpose only.

* * *

**Chapter 3**

Kotomine Risei had complete trust and confidence in his son. He knew his son well, and could read him better than anyone else.

Well, not exactly.

While Risei would never admit it, there were times when he thought he did not know his son anymore.

It started eight years ago. At the time, Kirei had just come back from one of his missions when Risei noticed something was wrong. His son did not seem that much different from normal and acted almost as he always had, but the old priest was not fooled. The light that had always shone from his son's eyes was gone, and while everything else remained the same, he noticed the slight hunch in his son's posture.

His son had continued on as always, yet even though he still dutifully continued on the path of righteousness, though he excelled at the task, Risei could no longer feel the enthusiasm towards it that his son once had. The priest wanted to talk to his son about it but no matter how hard he tried, he simply would not open up, always able to divert the conversation away from the issue.

Risei was worried about his son but there was nothing he could do.

Then, five years ago, Kirei met Claudia, and at the time, Risei thought he saw the old light slowly coming back to his son's eyes. Sadly, after only two years together, the virtuous woman, due to being ill, died, and after that, Kirei had gone back to becoming that husk, that hollow shell that did not have any direction.

Deciding that the path of an Executor may not be right for him, Risei, upon seeing the Command Seals appear on the back of his son's hand, decided that it might be best for him to pursue something different in life instead,

Though Risei intended to help Tokiomi acquire the Holy Grail, his true intention was actually to help his son Kirei. Having just lost his wife, Risei, while he did not have a clear idea of what was bothering his son, knew he was in grief from the death of his wife, and thus thought that having him participate in the Holy Grail War would be a nice distraction.

However…

His recent actions were questionable at best.

"Kirei-kun, I believe you owe me an explanation."

Kotomine Risei was currently sitting on one of the old yet sturdy armchairs of the priest's chambers, feeling fatigued and exhausted. He was spent, after using a large amount of prana to perform healing magic on a dying man that his son brought to the Church.

Yet he could not yet retire and go to sleep, not when the patient Kirei brought to him happened to be...

Matou Kariya, Berserker's Master and _enemy_ of Tohsaka Tokiomi, the latter being Kirei's teacher and ally.

"It is Tokiomi, Father. I am incapable of tolerating his actions any longer." The former Executor who was sitting on the chair facing Risei replied.

"..."

Even now, when his son has just indirectly admitted to betraying their ally Tokiomi, the faith Risei had in his son has not wavered. But still...

"What do you mean by that, Kirei-kun?"

"Tokiomi. I know he is your friend Father, as well as he is mine. However, you and I both know what he is capable of, what he would do to gain the ends he desire." Kirei stated.

"Kirei-kun..." Rise began but his son cut him off.

"Tell me father," began Kirei quietly. "If you were to pick between your duty to the Church or your family, which one would you choose?"

"Of course I will choose my family." Said Risei automatically and honestly. While it is true that he has pledged loyalty to the church, he was different from most of its members. For example, if his son ever turned into a Dead Apostle, he would rather die than perform his duties, but not before doing everything in his power to help Kirei escape.

"What about Tokiomi, Father? Which one would he choose?"

At this Risei fell silent for a while, before responding slowly.

"Tokiomi is a magus, not a priest, Kirei-kun."

"Exactly."

Risei did not respond to that. Already he could tell where this conversation was going.

"I have seen it with my own eyes Father, what the man has done. He may be a friend Father, but he is a magus first and foremost. I tried Father. All this time I have been trying to look the other way, but I cannot, not anymore."

The former Executor sighed deeply, before he continued, his voice quiet and solemn.

"I have a daughter as well, Father."

"..."

Risei fell silent, as he felt the emotions that lay heavy with every word his son spoke.

"Even now, I regret not being there for her. But there is still a War for me to fight. If ever I survive, I will spend the rest of my life taking care of her."

"But Kirei-kun, you no longer have a Servant." Risei tried to dissuade his son but it was of no use.

"Perhaps, Father, but I will fight regardless. In good conscience, I cannot allow someone like him to get his hands on the Holy Grail. A man who would do something like that to his own daughters does not deserve to hold it. Neither can I allow any of the other Masters, save perhaps one, to get their hands on it. If there is one thing I learned Father, is that magi are not to be trusted with power."

Risei could only stare at Kirei. He has just heard his son declare his intentions. After years of planning, years of working together, Kirei has suddenly decided to forego it. After everything that happened, Kirei has decided to betray Tokiomi.

The old priest was actually saddened by this fact, mainly because Tokiomi was an old friend. However, despite this, Risei could not help but feel a surge of pride and joy.

The light, the light that had long been lost from Kirei's eyes was once again present. Risei did not know exactly how it happened, but his paternal instinct was telling him, that this, this was him.

This was the Kirei that Risei knew, the one that he raised with love and care from the moment he was born. This was the Kirei who would willingly give up his life for what he believed in.

This was the Kirei that Risei could read quite well.

"Father?"

Risei closed his eyes and took a deep breathe. Already he could feel the impending headache that would come from all of this.

But then, it wasn't as if he ever ran out of headaches.

No matter what path he chose, even if he chose a path he disapproved of, Risei would still side with his son.

"I understand, my son," Risei said finally, as he stared at his son, his decision made. "I'll see what I ca—"

"Kyaaa! Get off me!"

Before the heart-to-heart father and son talk could be concluded however, it was rudely interrupted by a loud scream, followed by the door flying off its hinges.

Straight towards the old priest.

Fortunately, Risei was alert, and he stood up abruptly, ready to perform his martial arts on the square wooden object and kick it out of the way.

He need not have bothered, however, as his son Kirei got to it first, slicing the door in half with a sword.

?!

A murderous aura filled the room. The atmosphere had become so thick with hostility that Risei, despite being an experienced fighter who had his fair share of combat, found it difficult to breathe.

As well as unable to move.

"There is no escape."

Standing by the doorway was a girl. She had blonde hair, green eyes, and was wearing an orange shirt and blue jeans. If one were to look at her, she could easily pass off as an ordinary tomboyish teenager.

The large sword she was wielding, however, was a dead giveaway.

_Dear Lord!_

Despite looking identical to the Servant of the Sword, after a few quick observations, Risei concluded that the she was definitely not Saber. The mediator of the War has clairvoyance granted by the Grail as well after all, and since it detected nothing, it proved that she was not a Servant.

But then, Heroic Spirit or not, the girl was definitely dangerous.

Risei was starting to feel really nervous. Not only was he no longer able to move, but the sheer pressure coming from the girl was so strong that his knees were beginning to buckle. The old priest was no fool. He knew he did not stand a chance against her.

?!

When it comes to experienced fighters, once they enter battle mode, the world around them, from their perspective, seem to move at a slower pace.

And yet, even with his enhanced perception, Risei's vision and senses barely registered any movement, and before he knew it, the blonde was upon him, her blade already moving in a downward strike. He did not even see her raise her sword.

There really was no escape.

Or so Risei thought.

A loud clang was heard. Instead of slicing him by the shoulder as Risei noted from the weapon's intended direction, another blade rose up just in time to block it.

Risei found himself pushed backwards from the shockwave of the collision. The windows were suddenly flung open, the fire by the fireplace suddenly roaring more brightly, a painting on the wall suddenly feel to the floor and its frame shattered, as the chairs and other furniture move from their position by a few inches.

"What is the meaning of this?"

In front of Risei stood his son, Kirei, wielding a long sword, locked with the blade that belonged to the blonde-haired female.

Even though the situation was grim, Risei could not help but wonder. Now that he thought about it, although Kirei had become an Executor and had thus become accustomed to using Black Keys, Risei remembered that his son originally favoured long swords, similar in length and design to the one that he was currently wielding.

Kirei was once again using this weapon of choice, and Risei could not help but wonder what it means.

The atmosphere of hostility in the room was growing ever thicker, yet Risei, unlike before, once again found himself able to move and breath freely. For such a thing to happen there could only be one explanation. His son, Kirei, was probably doing something to counter the girl's aura.

The old priest got into a fighting chance. Though he did not yet fully comprehend the situation, it was clear that the girl Kirei brought along was an enemy. He did not know how much help he would be, but still he would try. Risei knew that the girl was leagues above him, but the power he felt from his son, seemed to be at the same level.

Kirei, for some reason, was much stronger than before. Meaning, if he were a match for the blonde-haired female, then Risei backing his son might just tip the scales.

The tension in the air was so high that one could cut through it with a knife. Before anyone could do or say anything else, however…

"Whoa! Hey, hey! That's enough! Please stop fighting!"

?!

A sudden shout broke through the tension.

Something brown suddenly jumped from Risei's shoulder, landing with a soft plop between the three of them.

It was a stuffed animal, a lion stuffed animal to be precise.

Or so it seemed…

"Kon," a female voice stated darkly.

"Calm down, Ichigo! I- whoa!"

"Like hell..."

Risei could only look in confusion as the girl's murderous intent withdrew from the room and instead focused on the small whimpering 'creature.'

Still, it was better than engaging in deadly combat. The old priest saw his son return his sword to his sheath, the same look of puzzlement reflected in the younger male's eyes. Risei did not know if his old eyes were deceiving him, but he could swear by all that is holy that he saw a sweat drop was forming on Kirei's head.

Risei could not help but sigh. Though he was relieved that a fight did not erupt, he was still left in the dark about so many things. After all, if he wanted to help his son, he needed to know what was going on.

For now though, he knew he had to wait, wait until the girl who just seconds before tried to kill him, who was swinging her sword wildly, chasing the 'stuffed animal' all over the church, calm down.

"Get back here, you pervert!"

Though now that Risei thought about it, he was probably never the girl's target to begin with.

**xxxXXXxxx**

Kurosaki Ichigo has never been a good role model for the virtue known as patience. Granted, she is able to keep herself calm and level-headed if the situation calls for it, but when the situation does not call for it, she easily gets bored. Her boredom would then eventually turn to irritation and then if she could not take anymore she would snap.

Thankfully, she had her Inner World to retreat to during such a time, and because of it she managed to minimize the number of times she exploded on someone.

Sadly, there were some things in existence that could quickly snap Ichigo's rope.

Like annoying perverted stuffed toys for example.

Boundary Fields are dead useful when trying to hide an area. Depending on time, aside from a compulsion to make people stay away from it, it also creates an illusion, and what people see from the outside is not the same as what is really there.

Aside from that, Bounded Fields also influence the senses, which include the sense of hearing. With regards to the subtle Bounded Field around the church, it has been designed to ensure that any sound that occurs within cannot be heard from the outside.

"LET ME GO, YOU WENCH! LET ME GO!"

Which is probably a good thing, considering the fact that a certain mod soul was screaming in indignation, pinned to one of the walls with a special talisman that had been developed just for handling a pervert stuffed in a stuffed animal like him.

"I SWEAR! ONCE I GET OUT OF THIS I'M GOING TO MAKE YOU P-MMMPH?!"

"Shut it!" Having had enough of the mod soul's whining, Ichigo strapped a tape on the pervert's mouth.

From the substitute Soul Reaper's Inner World, her two zanpakuto spirits could not help but sweat drop. They could never understand why Ichigo would blow a fuse whenever Kon tried to grope her, even though there were times when she was using said perverted stuffed toy as a pillow and have said perverted stuffed toy snuggled between her chest when she went to sleep. This contradictory reaction is one mystery no one had yet been able to solve, not even Shiro or Kuro.

"Sorry about the Church, old man," the blonde-haired woman said sheepishly as she scratched the back of her head, turning her attention to the other two people in the room. "I got a bit carried away."

Risei and Kirei could not help but look at her incredulously. Having learned of the circumstances, they could understand exactly why she went berserk like she did.

But then, considering the mess she made which include broken chairs and furniture, saying she was a bit carried away may have been a bit too much..

Still, the Church did have a lot funds set aside specifically for the War, enough to rebuild an entire city so something like this would not be a problem.

"Ahem," Risei coughed to garner attention, surprising calm despite having the 'House of God' damaged. "Now that that is over with, I believe it is time for us to deal with more important issues. Have a seat young lady." In truth, despite the funding, the old priest was upset with what happened. However, because the girl was a guest of his son, he decided to let her off.

Ichigo politely accepted the offer and sat down on one of the chairs.

"My name is Kotomine Risei, the priest of this Church as well as the mediator of the Holy Grail War. Now,-"

"Holy Grail- what?"

"..."

Risei was surprised. Since she seemed to be acquainted with his son, he thought that she was aware of what was going on.

Apparently he was wrong.

"You are not aware?" The old priest inquired.

"No, I'm not." Ichigo replied as she shook her head. "Mind telling me what's going on?"

The old priest was at a loss on what to do next. After everything that happened so far, he was certain that the girl was lying.

His son, however, had a different reaction.

"Kurosaki," Kirei began, as his father and the blonde-haired girl turned their attention towards him. "Is the name of the person who sent you here, by any chance, Uruhara Kisuke?"

"Yeah, it was hat and clogs who sent me here."

"I see," the former Executor frowned. "That explains it."

"I suppose it does," the blonde-haired female responded with a scowl.

The old priest was also wearing a frown on his face. Who is this Uruhara Kisuke, a person who his son and the young woman seemed to be acquainted with? More importantly, how was he involved in all this?

As if knowing what he was about to ask, his son started to give a brief explanation.

"Uruhara Kisuke is a smart man whose intelligence is probably beyond that of any human's... or any sentient being for that matter. He is a good friend, but he has annoying habits that aren't exactly easy to tolerate, keeping his allies in the dark about certain things being a prime example."

"Understatement of the century," the female shinigami muttered.

The room fell silent, broken only by the muffled cries of the stuffed toy that was pinned to a wall.

Ichigo was thinking to herself. Holy Grail War? Urahara had not mentioned anything to her about this. She had only come here to meet Kotomine Kirei, return his powers and memories, and then tell him the two words she wanted to say before leaving.

But after everything that happened that night, along with Kuro's cryptic words, she knew she won't be leaving anytime soon.

'_**Ichigo...'**_

_I know, Kuro... I know..._

Of course, now that her mission was over, she could technically leave anytime she wanted.

However...

_Kuro said there is an evil presence here. There's that monster I vaporized, those bastards with strong reiatsu and then there's this Holy Grail War... not to mention those flying cows I saw earlier. Something's definitely going on here..._

While Ichigo is not a person who would go out seeking world peace and problems to solve, she would never walk away from one if it appeared right in front of her.

Having come to a decision, Ichigo decided to break the silence.

"I apologise old man, but it seems like I forgot to introduce myself."

Ichigo coughed to clear her throat before she continued.

"My name's Kurosaki Ichigo, and I'm a Shinigami Representative."

Once again, the room fell silent. Judging from the old man's reaction, if there was one thing Ichigo was sure of.

_This is going to be one headache of a conversation,_ thought the blonde-haired substitute soul reaper tiredly.

Looking to the right of the old priest, she saw Kirei nod his head for her continue.

_Still, even if I would sound crazy, at least there's one person here who'll back me up._ Feeling motivated, Ichigo started her explanation about death, hollows, shinigami and everything else she knows about the afterlife, using a sketchbook with drawings to help her discussion.

Thankfully, her drawings, unlike a certain female Soul Reaper who wields an ice element zanpakuto, are not pathetic and easy for the one who views it to comprehend.

As the discussion progressed, pinned on the wall of the building, the stuffed lion plushy named Kon remained forgotten.

**xxxXXXxxx**

_Well, that went better than expected..._

A few hours after the discussion between the three found a blonde-haired substitute shinigami lying on a bed with her hair covering her eyes. She had been given a room of her own, one of six that had been built specifically to accommodate Masters in the Holy Grail War who had either lost their Servant or had given up.

Of course, it did not mean that non-involved parties would not be allowed to use them.

As she lay down on the bed, the girl could not help but think about the discussion that they had. To Ichigo's surprise, the old man, Kotomine Risei, was at first sceptical and disbelieving, that is until Kirei joined in the conversation and confirmed her statements, at the same time revealing the truth that he too, was a Soul Reaper.

Thankfully, the old man, who was also Kirei's father was convinced, and after a little more discussing, it was decided that Ichigo, who the old priest accurately guessed was the one who destroyed the giant tentacle monster at Mion River, should get some rest first.

And it was the information they discussed after Ichigo revealed the information she holds that disturbed and bothered the female substitute soul reaper.

The Heaven's Feel Holy Grail War. To stumble upon something so out of this world would probably leave most people stunned or freaked out.

Kurosaki Ichigo, however, was not most people. Ever since the day she had become a shinigami representative, she had to deal with so many absurdities and impossibilities, perilous though many of them were, and thus she was not that surprised.

That did not mean, however, that she was not shaken.

The Hogyoku, a powerful artefact with the ability to fuse hollows and shinigami. It was primarily created by Urahara Kisuke in an attempt to remove the hollow problem permanently, not by destroying the hollows, but by removing their need to consume souls and giving them back their sanity.

Unfortunately, Sosuke Aizen also created a Hogyuko for personal gain, and combining Uruhara's with his own, the fused version becoming complete and more powerful.

But then, the purpose by which the Hogyoku was used is not really its true capability.

Although it was used to fuse hollows and shinigami, the Hogyoku's true power is actually to grant its wielder's desires.

Though its capability is limited, in a way it is similar to a genie's lamp or a wishing machine.

And now there was this Holy Grail War, where the prize, the Holy Grail, is similar to the Hogyoku.

Except for one difference.

If the old priest was telling the truth, which Ichigo was sure he was, this artefact was much more powerful... and dangerous, since according to him, it could grant _any _wish.

While the Hogyoku had limits, the Holy Grail did not.

In the wrong hands, such a power would cause a great disaster.

That is something which must not be allowed to happen.

Ichigo had already accepted it. With what happened at the lake, the monster that appeared and the entities brimming with reiatsu, which she had learned were Heroics Spirits, she knew that her simple delivery mission had become much more complicated.

Though she could not help but curse her luck. After all, despite her looks, Ichigo was not a person who goes out looking for trouble.

Trouble usually finds her.

_Che. What have I gotten myself into this time?_

Deep in thought, Ichigo, who thought she would not get any sleep that night after what she had learned, eventually fell into a deep slumber.

Her sleep, however, would be anything but peaceful.

**xxxXXXxxx**

The world was a bloody battlefield.

The scent of decay was strong in the breeze.

Sword clashed against sword, spear clashed against spear, each death adding to the large collection of corpses.

In the midst of all this, Ichigo stood, wielding a well-made broadsword, clashing against the person in front of her, while all the rest, from both sides, were busy with their own battles. The opponent she was facing was undoubtedly the enemy's leader, an enemy for whom she felt much resentment.

"You actions have doomed your kingdom, and now there is nothing you can do but watch it fall," Words filled with cold conviction came out of Ichigo's mouth.

The enemy, however, did not reply with words, and instead did so with another onslaught of slashes.

The battle progressed and despite the enemy's incredible skill, she managed to match every blow that was sent at her. In every single way, she and her enemy were evenly matched.

Which only made her feel even more resentment.

"Why? Why? Why did you not abdicate throne for me?" Ichigo spoke, yet this time, they were not laced with hatred but instead with great sadness. "All this could have been avoided if you just stepped down from your pedestal."

Even though she was not a good person by nature, she had become such a person. No one had been as just as she had been. No one had been as virtuous as her. Even though all she did was lie to herself, to deny her true self, what she had done cannot be denied. What she had accomplished was real.

There was no warrior in existence who could claim to be as noble as Ichigo.

By the orders of her mother, Ichigo was supposed to perform this act well, so that she would have the opportunity to take the throne from the ruler.

However, Ichigo did not have any intention of taking the throne, at least not in that way. In fact, she was not really interested to become the ruler at all.

Ichigo did not want fame, nor did she want power. No, the reason why she wanted the throne in the first place was because of something else.

She wanted to be loved by that person. She wanted to receive affection from that person. She was not really asking for much, all she wanted was a little bit of it. Just a little bit of acknowledgement.

Ichigo never really wanted the throne. All she wanted, was to hear the king commend her, and tell her that she is worthy. Even if Ichigo did not become king, hearing the person tell her that she was worthy to take her place would have been enough.

And yet...

"Because you do not have the spirit of a King."

Just a little affection. Just a little acknowledgement.

Yet it was something that she would not even be granted.

In her dazed state, her sorrow overwhelming her hatred, she had become open and vulnerable.

She had let her guard down, and she paid dearly for it.

A lance soon pierced her in the chest, and the last thing Ichigo saw was the face of the king, a female king who looked identical to Ichigo.

The joy of being praised.

The happiness of being acknowledged.

Ichigo was not asking for much.

Yet even that, even that small wish, Ichigo was denied.

Soon afterwards, Ichigo woke up from her slumber, without any recollection of what she had dreamt.

She tried to remember it, but as what happens most of the time she was unable to do so.

Not knowing what it was in the first place, Ichigo tried to shrug it off as nothing but could not.

For some reason, she was certain that the dream was about something important.

For one thing, she was sure that her dream was not a happy one.

She had woken up crying, tears falling in streams from her eyes, while the heart in her chest seemed to clench painfully from whatever it was she had dreamt.

Still, realizing that there was no point dwelling on it, Ichigo went back to sleep, and this time, there was nothing that bothered her.

All that was there was the peaceful abyss of a dreamless sleep.

Unknown to Ichigo, the dream she had was no ordinary dream.

Nor did she know that because what she had seen was not really a dream, she should have been able to recall it.

The reason why she forgot, was because someone interfered.

Someone made her forget.

Someone did not want her to remember it.

Someone who did not want Ichigo to suffer because of something that should have been buried in the past.

Even though that someone was suffering herself.

**xxxXXXxxx**

The relationship between a shinigami and his zanpakuto is one that is quite unique. They are actually the same person, the same being, yet at the same time they are not.

The soul reaper is the blade itself. The blade is the soul reaper himself. But even though they are one and the same, they are both individuals on their own.

Normally, a shinigami could be said to have two manifested personalities, that of the shinigami and that of his zanpakuto. In some cases, however, like that of Visoreds, they have a total of three personalities: the shinigami, the zanpakuto and the hollow.

Ichigo is a substitute Soul Reaper is similar to the Visoreds, except for one difference. Unlike a Visored, her zanpakuto and her hollow are one and the same, while the third personality that resides within her is actually a manifestation of her Quincy powers. Though of course, Ichigo considers both them as her zanpakuto, and while it should not have been the case, 'Zangetsu' had become the true name of both individuals.

Being technically Ichigo's other selves yet individuals on their own, Shiro and Kuro, while a part of the female substitute soul reaper, are able to think, act and do things independently, especially within Ichigp's soul or Inner World. Ichigo may wield most of the authority, but her two zanpakuto spirits also have some semblance of control.

Kuro had been the first to exert her influence to the fullest. Though in terms of reiatsu she was weaker, the knowledge and skills she possessed made her superior to Shiro. To protect Ichigo, Kuro suppressed Shiro, along with a large portion of spiritual pressure. Slowly, as Ichigo's skills improved, Kuro released more and more of the sealed energy, which itself was increasing as Ichigo, through the trials and battles she went through, became more powerful.

Even now, although Kuro now allowed Shiro, who no longer sought to take over, to roam free, she was still making sure that the maximum output of reiatsu that can be used was limited to the amount that would not kill Ichigo. Kuro, as well Shiro, had no intention of allowing Ichigo to use her full power, unless they was sure that it would not put Ichigo's life in danger, or unless there was a dire emergency that would leave them with no other choice, Aizen having been an example of such an emergency.

With regards to authority, however, Kuro and Shiro were not limited to simply moderating reiatsu.

They also have some control over Ichigo's memories, and their influence over memories are especially strong if said memories were not part of what Ichigo herself experienced in her eighteen years of life, or if the memories are what they themselves exclusively experienced.

Though the three of them are basically the same person, Shiro and Kuro have 'personal' memories that are theirs and theirs alone. They are able to keep these memories to themselves, even from their other selves.

If Kuro somehow has a memory that is unique to her, even if by some chance it is seen by either Shiro or Ichigo, she could make them forget about it.

If a memory unique to Shiro that she did not want to share is somehow seen by her two companions, she could actually do the same.

And it is also the same for Ichigo. The substitute soul could basically remove and keep from Shiro and Kuro all the memories of her interactions in the real world that does not involve her wielding her zanpakuto.

What she cannot erase are those which involve her making use of her blade, or when either of her zanpakuto spirits took over her body or shared her vision, memories which all three of them share.

However, she had rarely exercised this ability as she completely trusted her zanpakuto spirits. The only times she did so was when there was something embarrassing that happened which she did not Shiro or Kuro to know, but everything important, she did not hide from them.

Giving them freedom to view her memories while respecting their privacy, Kuro and Shiro, in all honestly, actually felt guilty about hiding things from Ichigo, and thus they too, did not hide anything from their Soul Reaper unless they either thought it necessary to hide the information or they believed the information was too personal to share. Rukia's memories, which were not seen by Ichigo and only by both Shiro and Kuro, was naturally not known by Ichigo.

Of course, the two zanpakuto spirits have personal memories of their own that they would rather not share.

Kuro, being a manifestation of Ichigo's Quincy powers, actually have memories from Juda Bach, even though they are not the same person. Although many of the skills and moves she taught Ichigo, especially with regard to swordsmanship, were moves that were known and invented exclusively by Kuro alone, some of the abilities she taught actually came from the Quincy King himself.

And as for Shiro... she also had memories that she would rather keep to herself.

Due to being disturbed emotionally, Shiro had accidentally shared one of these memories to her soul reaper. Thankfully, it had happened while Ichigo was sleeping, and thus thought it to be a dream.

Because in truth, this particular memory, even though Shiro gained monopoly over it for some reason, is actually shared by all three of them.

Although she had been able to suppress this memory, if either Ichigo or Kuro were to force it, Shiro would not be able to stop them from viewing and recalling it, as well as others that are related to it, a subsection of memories called the 'Past Life.'

The mechanics of reincarnation is rather complicated, as there are many factors involved. Normally, a reincarnated soul does not have memories of a past life. However, if the spiritual energy of a soul is strong enough, it is possible for the soul to recall previous memories.

'_**Ha! Well isn't this interesting!' **_Inside of Ichigo's Inner World, Shiro was laughing, seemingly thoroughly amused.

It was nothing but a facade.

Though Shiro seemed to be incredibly happy at whatever it was she was thinking about, the truth is that she was not.

The zanpakuto spirit was trying to convince herself that things were going well, that if she was correct, she was going to have an opportunity that she had been waiting for, an opportunity that was too good to be true.

She was lying to herself.

'_**I'm not sure if the reiatsu I felt earlier really belongs to you, but if it does, it's gonna be perfect!" **_

Shiro was cackling with glee.

The mirth, however, did not reach up to her eyes.

Though she would never admit it even to herself, deep down, Shiro was, with all her heart, hoping that she was wrong.

'_**We're going to have one hell of a reunion...'**_

'_**Father...'**_

**xxxXXXxxx**

**To be continued...**

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTES**

Alright, another chapter out. Now, not much happens in this chapter, but it is necessary to build up the plot even just a bit. I hope it was not that boring, though even if it is at least there are a few interesting things to read.

Did any of you manage to guess what Ichigo's dream was about? Or what Shiro's words implied? Hehehe, I bet some of you did.

As for the interactions, especially between Kirei and his father, I hope you liked it. Type-Moon Universe is full of what-ifs after all, and one small change can make a whole lot of difference. Actually, as I read Fate Zero, I noticed that Risei's overall character was not completely revealed. So while Kirei thinks he was deceiving his Father, it is quite possible that Risei could actually see through his son and was just keeping quiet about it, as Kirei was trying hard to deny the evil within him. Had Risei not been killed by Kayneth in canon and Kirei managed to talk to his father, things could have gone differently. Of course this is just a theory of mine. No one can really tell what could have happened.

Currently, I am having trouble with what to write to next. This chapter itself, while I found easy to start had been difficult to finish, because I had come up with three plot summaries to choose from. Now that I finished it by choosing one of the plots at random, I am now hassled by a number of possible routes to use, three routes summarized on paper while a number of others that I have not jot down. Regardless with which I decide to write down though, the next chapter will probably have a confrontation. I'm not confident when it comes to writing battle scenes though but I hope it will be good enough.

Combined with my responsibilities in the real world, the updates may take another while, though I'll try to post as soon as is humanly possible. I'm doing a little bit of grammar checking but not by much, so if you see some mistakes or what seem like mistakes please point them out. I'll really appreciate it.

So I suppose that's all I'll say for now. No spoilers or stat sheets here on this Author's Notes, but if I decide to add an OC, or if an ability is revealed, it will be posted in this section in the next chapters.

And like always, I hope you enjoy reading this chapter...

Later then, people...


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